The Latest: As votes are counted, no clear winner emerges in Israel's election
Votes were being counted as dawn broke in Israel on Wednesday morning, but exit polls suggested that its momentous national election left no clear winner.
That likely meant the beginning of weeks of wrangling among parties to form a governing coalition and declare a new prime minister. In the meantime, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains as interim caretaker head of the government.
Exit polls released by major Israeli TV stations right after polls closed on Tuesday night and revised overnight indicated that neither Netanyahu’s political bloc nor that of his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, secured the 61 seats needed for a majority in the parliament, known as the Knesset.
Israelis vote for parties, which then form alliances to create a majority coalition. No single party has ever won a majority.
But the inconclusive result comes as the country remains deeply divided over Netanyahu's leadership and scarred by the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the wars that have since shaken the Middle East.
Here is the latest:
“I feel that the country is pretty stuck,” said one voter, Hanna Doukhan in Tel Aviv. “We are little by little coming to a situation where we have to face reality. ... I don’t see a possibility to form a government without the Arabs.”
But some called that a difficult thing to consider after decades of friction. “A peace won’t be between Muslims and Jews. Never,” said another voter in Tel Aviv, Artsi Wine, who nevertheless acknowledged that “we have to find a way to live together.”
With 60% of votes counted, Netanyahu’s Likud party has 21.4% and Eisenkot’s Yashar has 16.2%, according to official election data.
The count released on Wednesday morning from Israel’s Central Elections Committee does not indicate how many seats each party will win in the parliament.
With Arab parties’ strong showing in the election and the possible implications of that in forming a new government, Israelis are facing a debate as strong as their morning coffee.
An analysis in the left-leaning Haaretz news outlet indicated an important moment for any political grouping that considers itself democratic.
“A situation in which Israel’s Arab citizens go to great lengths to participate in a political arena that relentlessly strives to exclude them, only to be met with another slap in the face, bodes poorly for the future of the bloc that styles itself as ‘democratic,’” it said.
Israel’s president’s role is largely ceremonial, but not once election results come in.
President Isaac Herzog soon must choose the person he believes is best placed to form a government and set them to work. That person usually is the head of the party with the most votes.
Netanyahu’s Likud has the most votes with half of them counted, but tasking Netanyahu is not required.
And some in Israel might argue that considering how sharply polarizing his government has been, another choice might help in the coalition-building period ahead.
Hundreds of thousands of votes cast by members of Israel’s military have yet to be counted, but the military says turnout among its ranks was 79.9%.
That’s up by more than six percentage points from the previous election. Some polling stations had been set up in combat areas.
Serbian police say that an unidentified assailant attacked a guard with knives outside the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade and was killed early on Wednesday.
Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic says police are treating the incident as a “terrorist attack” and have raised the terror threat to the highest level and stepped up police presence at key locations.
Dacic said the attacker was a minor and had two knives. He attacked the guard, shouting Allahu Akbar, or "God is great" in Arabic.
He added that the police officer “liquidated” the assailant in “self-defense” and was lightly wounded.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday disputed the notion that Netanyahu may be heading toward defeat as exit polls indicated no clear winner in Israel’s elections.
“I’m hearing that he did very well,” he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, after returning from a pair of campaign rallies in Texas. “I actually heard he did pretty well.”
Trump cautioned that it was a “little bit early” and said he has not yet spoken with Netanyahu about the results. Trump endorsed Netanyahu late in the campaign, while Netanyahu stressed his close ties with the White House in his election night speech.
Addressing exuberant supporters past 3 a.m. Wednesday morning in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that exit polls indicate his Likud will be the largest party in the next parliament. He listed Israel’s military accomplishments over the past three years and pledged to finish the job against Iran’s regime.
In a message aimed at his rivals, he said no government should be formed that relies on Arab parties.
Arab-led parties had a strong showing in Tuesday’s election and could be kingmakers if, as exit polls indicate, Netanyahu’s bloc and his opponents are tied and both unable to form governing coalitions.
In a sign of the uncertainty ahead, the mood at both Eisenkot's and Netanyahu’s headquarters was celebratory. In a speech early Wednesday in Tel Aviv that focused on national unity, Eisenkot pledged to form a government and promised “a new era — an era of hope” for Israelis.
“Today, Israel went out to a referendum over the leadership that will lead Israel in the coming years,” Eisenkot said to cheers from supporters. “The people decided in favor of change.”
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